France’s travel journal : make dreams come true
A year ago, one of my friends, in love with France, told me that I absolutely had to visit this wonderful country … He expressed this intention in the universe, saying that there was no doubt that I would go soon. A few months later, I found myself preparing for this tour, in order to facilitate a dozen of raw food workshops in a dozen cities, from Paris to Névache in the Hautes Alpes…
I like to be aware of the importance of dreams in life, while not caring about the « how to ». Life takes good care of this aspect, which is lightening up my candid little girl’s heart. When I found everything a raw food diet can bring into your life, of course I wanted to share it to all those who aspire to a better life. To share this passion through my cooking classes and my books is a natural thing for me. One day, I will tell the detailed story of how my books are now found in France … Some organic stores where the French version of my first book “Rawfreshing Cuisine” was sold showed interest in my workshops. Then my distributor, Jeremie Béclair, generously planned this tour where I got to know dozens and dozens of people interested in adding raw vegan foods in their daily diet.
Here is a brief summary of this tour in April 2014:
1- 1st stop : Paris , Biocoop Bastille (11th arrondissement) : Experiencing an enthusiastic shift
www.welcomebio.fr
First workshop in Paris Bastille Biocoop . Shiny women who have allowed me to see once again how the world is now open to a better quality of life. The French participants were delighted to taste creative alternatives of their classic … I’ll remember, among others, friendly welcoming Charles , the manager of this beautiful kitchen-class , the raw enthusiasm of Violeta, a Romanian who told me that her country has many fans of living food, a mother and a daughter who support each other daily in their new venture, etc.
2- 2nd stop: Houdan, L’escale bio fraîcheur gourmande – Biomonde . Going beyond parents
http://fraicheurgourmande.escalebio.com/
Second workshop with fantastic participants in beautiful Houdan. I had a crush on their lovely store in the countryside, where I discovered ONLY organic products! And what a welcoming staff! If you go by Houdan, go there! When I think about this workshop, I hear Jocelyne, mother of twins who are in their thirties now: “They grew up being immersed in healthy living, then they rejected all for a while to finally come back with even more strength and beyond what I taught them…”
3- 3rd stop. Paris, Alimentationvivante.org (Montparnasse) : Nothing can stop the call to life when one is ready
http://alimentationvivante.org/
This third workshop in Paris, with the help of the family of “Alimentation vivante .org” and especially with the dedicated Camille, age 8, who wants to become a chef! Thank you to the twenty something participants! The workshop can be viewed online very soon! Paris is full of curiosity and gradual integration of live food. People from Marseille, Tours and elsewhere went into this popular district to relax and learn. I remember doing the same thing at the beginning of my journey of raw food, when few resources were available in my isolated part of the country. Nothing can stop the call to life when we are ready…
Next: Workshop to view online…
4- 4th stop. Blois, Blois Biocoop: Respect for yourself = respect for others
http://www.biocoop.fr/magasins-bio/trouver-ma-biocoop/centre/loir-et-cher/l-epi-vert
Workshop # 4: Wonderful welcome from the staff of L’Épi vert in Blois Biocoop. Magnificent group and memorable encounter with an adorable young heart couple, Luc and his sweet Maryvonne; he keeps saying nice things about her, after all these years together. Upon retirement, they take care of their health by engaging in a most vivid possible nutrition! It seems to me that the more respect we have about ourself by ingesting healthy foods, the more you respect the other, others and the environment in which we live…
5- 5th stop : Coop nature, Tours centre : Innovation
http://www.coopnature.com/
This morning workshop # 5 in the nature of the historic city called ” Tours ” where a couple of restaurant owners in St- Malo in Brittany are working seriously to incorporate raw dishes on their menu ! Being innovative is a very rewarding and challenging thing … If one is a lonely innovator in the kitchen at this time on the planet, we must say that he will not be alone for very long…
6- 6th stop. Tours, Biocoop Salut Terre : Transforming
Tonight, workshop # 6 in Tours Biocoop, where a joyful audience really delighted me with his enthusiasm! I have among others met another couple of restaurant owners who decided overnight to temporarily close their restaurant, leaving the meat, gluten, dairy and devoting himself to the study of live food! They also have interesting projects to transform their restaurant … to follow …
Upcoming Interview with Nadège Veg Market http://www.marketveg.com/
7- 7th stop, Saumur, La vie Claire (The clear life). The curious citizens of Bagneux
http://www.lavieclaire.com/magasin-bio/saumur.html
Workshop # 7 in the store named “The clear life” (another chain of French natural food stores) with “The curious of Bagneux” as I affectionately call them! This morning at Bagneux near Saumur , I met some nice people who felt called by the raw food out of curiosity … With it , they discovered that with plants, they could create many surprising recipes that could bring healing to some, extra energy to others …
8- 8th stop : Baugé , La fontaine des délices (The fountain of delights) with Frédéric and Heloise : Changing is not denying
http://www.lafontainedesdelices.fr/
Tonight, workshop # 8 in Baugé, a nice community where a nice couple of bakers-chocolatiers, Heloise and Frederic (The fountain of delights) organized this introductory workshop. Several chefs, cooks were present, ready to explore this new cuisine! I especially like to see professional dare open to novelty and challenge their learning. Changing is not denying what has been done in the past and certainly not who we are. This is about letting go and moving forward.
9- 9th stop. Grenoble, La bulle du Bonheur (The bubble of happiness) : Go to the source
http://www.bulle-de-bonheur.com/
Workshop # 9 with real Grenoble citizens, together with real walnuts (in French, we call them « nuts of Grenoble »)! Thank you to Gerard of La bulle de Bonheur for this beautiful kitchen of happiness! I have always loved working with walnuts… I slept in Grenoble… A view from my room, reminds me that I barely thought I was in 2014. A real beauty!
Upcoming Online : Interview with Le chou brave (The brave cabbage)… http://lechoubrave.fr/
10- 10th stop. Névache, Marion and Jeremie’s 200 year-old home
The final workshop of my tour, # 10, was in Névache in the Hautes Alpes at Marion and Jeremie’s. Even Joshuan and his friend could not resist tasting… I couldn’t resist to the spectacular mountains… 10 minutes away from Italy!
As always, I learned a lot during this series of workshops. Among other things, I know that this desire to live fully and with all due respect, in my heart, is at the bottom of millions of others’ heart like mine around the world. So I ‘m not alone, even if I believed in that lie at times in my life. I also learned that my own colors, my accent, my tongue, my personality, my uniqueness can reach and touch many beings. What I share comes from something bigger than me, passing through me and this is my life mission. Finally, I realize once again that dreams when “tested” and embodied in real life, are often more beautiful than in our imagination , especially if the process is lived in faith. That friend of mine who made this statement last year for me recently told me he had issued a new intention, saying that 100,000 copies of my books would be sold… Why not? The idea of multiplying by thousands what I witnessed in the eyes of the people I met delights me… I have no doubt at all about that intention, because “The universe conspires in favor of those who dream”, as Paulo Coelho said…
